1. Standard memberwolfgang59
    Quiz Master
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    10 Feb '20 21:06
    The fourth power of any prime greater
    than 5 is one more than a multiple of 120.

    I stumbled across that by noting (p-2)(p-1)(p+1)(p+2)
    must be divisible by 120 since one of the brackets must
    be a multiple of 5, one must be a multiple of 3, and of the two
    even numbers one must be a multiple of 4.
    Hence the product is divisible by 5*3*2*4 (=120)

    By expanding the brackets and playing around one
    can then show that p^4 -1 is a multiple of 120.

    But there is a much easier proof.
    What is it?
  2. Joined
    09 Jul '16
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    25 Feb '20 01:30
    One form of Fermat's Little Theorem is:
    p^(n-1) - 1 = nm
    (p, m, n all integers, p not divisible by n)

    So in your case we have
    p^4 - 1 = 5m

    Now p^4 - 1 is the difference of two squares:
    p^4 - 1 = (p^2 - 1)(p^2 + 1)
    And p^2 - 1 is also the difference of two squares:
    p^2 - 1 = (p - 1)(p + 1)

    Since p is a prime larger than 5, p must be odd and so both p - 1 and p + 1 are divisible by 2 and one of them is divisible by 4 (consecutive even numbers).

    Also, by considering the three consecutive numbers (p-1), p, (p+1), it is clear that either p-1 or p+1 must be divisible by 3 (since p can't be).

    Hence (p-1)(p+1) is divisible by 2x4x3 = 24.

    Hence p^2 - 1 is divisible by 24.

    Hence (p^2 - 1)(p^2 + 1) is divisible by 24

    Hence p^4 - 1 is divisible by 24

    We already know that p^4 -1 is divisible by 5 (the Fermat's Little Theorem bit at the start), and since 24 and 5 are co-prime, we know that p^4 - 1 is divisible by 5x24 = 120, i.e. p^4 = 120m + 1 for some integer m.
  3. Standard memberwolfgang59
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    29 Feb '20 09:18
    @mynameisklint
    Well done!
    (I did it without help from Fermat ... 😉 )

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